We cats have not yet addressed the failures of CNN and its "debate moderators" the other night. That's because we've been spending the last day savoring the money that Biden-Harris has been raising, and laughing at comments on Twitter from people like George Conway and Rick Wilson. (What would we do without these former Republicans? They get the fact that the best defense is an offense, with humor.)
Meanwhile, though, it's been pretty discouraging that journalists still haven't figured out how to cover Benedict Donald, let alone treat him in Presidential "debates." Obviously it's a challenge when someone spews a firehose of falsehoods, but it requires more than bringing on the excellent Daniel Dale for fact-checking after the event.
Our theory is that Jake Tapper and Dana Bash were told to play it safe, and not subject the network to a Candy-Crowley-type blowback. Remember that? Crowley dared to correct Willard "Mitt" Romney in a 2012 debate that she moderated with President Obama, and Republicans lost their minds. Crowley left CNN two years later. You can draw your own conclusions, but color us not surprised.
What debate moderators, and any journalists whose paths cross with Trump, must do is interrupt him to nail him on specifics. They should ask: What polls show that most Americans wanted Roe v. Wade overturned? Who's happy about it? What election fraud occurred in 2020 — aside from the very few documented instances that were ascribed to Republicans? What are "Black jobs" and "Hispanic jobs"? Who performs those jobs, what are they, and where? How many "abortions after birth" have occurred, and where? Please cite hospitals, cities, and states.
Yes, it was probably a disgrace that a convicted felon could share a debate stage with the President of the United States. But this particular felon has completely co-opted the Republican Party. So the onus is on journalists to try — try — to set some guardrails. (After all, the debate on Thursday was CNN's event, yes?) Edward R. Murrow did it in 1954, when he said this to his viewers:
"This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy's methods to keep silent...We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities."
Journalists are citizens, too. It would be great if more of them would remember that. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.
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